Max, who celebrates his 2nd birthday next Tuesday, helped ensure that her latest album, Bionic, sent just the right message.

"[It] is just about the future -- my son in my life, motivating me to want to play and have fun."

That motivation has allowed her to experiment in ways "that maybe I've been afraid to do in the past, to allow myself to go to a place of 'less singing,' " she says. "I'm more vulnerable and more strong at the same time."